Happy New Year Mercer family and friends! As we begin working hard to have a successful and prosperous 2016, we would like to take some time to discuss the latest news about the impending ELD mandate, and how Mercer will enforce their policies concerning Electronic Logs this upcoming June.
As you know, Mercer previously announced that we will fully implement ELD usage throughout the fleet by June 30th, 2016. We made this decision very early in an attempt to get ahead of the curve, and not wait until the last second to try to convert the entire fleet over to using ELDs. So far we feel that we have made a tremendous amount of progress. Well over half of the fleet has converted to using ELDs at this point.

Just last month, the FMCSA published the mandate for use of ELDs throughout the entire industry. All truck models 2000 and newer will be required to be equipped with an ELD by December 10th, 2017. All truck models of 1999 or older were exempted by the FMCSA. A reason for this is the number of mechanical engine models still on the road that cannot be equipped with a legitimate ELD system. Although the FMCSA has exempted these models of trucks, Mercer will remain on course, and ALL trucks in the fleet with electronic engines, regardless of year model, will be required to install and use an ELD by June 30th, 2016. We have a very small amount of mechanical engine trucks in the fleet that will not be capable of installing an ELD. These trucks will be able to remain leased to Mercer as long as those contractors do not acquire ANY further log violations. However, this only accounts for about 3% of our fleet, and we will no longer consider leasing any more mechanical engine units to Mercer Transportation.

Many have questioned Mercer’s reasoning to mandate ELDs so early. Mercer Transportation has always prided itself with being one of the safest and most compliant fleets in the industry. We want to stay ahead of the curve. We began discussing the ELD mandate nearly 10 years ago. Our Safety Department, and General Management Group do not want to be a company that waits until the last minute to comply to these standards. It is also believed that moving forward that the companies that are running on paper logs will be much more heavily scrutinized by the DOT and FMCSA, and we would like for our contractors to not be in that position.

We understand that some of you that have not upgraded are skeptical about installing this device in your truck. We suggest that you at least stop by in Louisville, and visit with Safety and Contractor Relations, and at least see what your options are, and how the device works. We also suggest that you try not to wait until the last minute to install. We will be faced with a growing number of installs as we get closer to June, and it would be best to not squander productivity during the busiest freight volume time of the year.

In closing, we want to say again how much we appreciate you all. You have all helped Mercer Transportation continue to be the best place for Owner Operators and we are committed to your success for 2016 and beyond. Have a great day, and GO MERCER!

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We will be serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at Noon in the Driver’s lounge. If you are here on the yard (or close by) please share in this feast! The dinner is hosted and provided by; Mercer, various Mercer employees, and agents. If you won’t be in until later, be sure to check the refrigerator for leftovers and help yourself 

Mercer is very thankful for our wonderful drivers! We look forward to spending Thanksgiving with you.